What have you been working on this week?
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Sam
xxx
.jpg)
...and random other ramblings
Saturday, June 30, 2012
This week's WIPs: linen stitch scarf and a lace shawl
My sewing machine is in the shop, and I am feeling a little lost without it! But it is the perfect opportunity to pull out some knitty WIPs and make a little progress. No finished objects this week... but here's a quick glimpse at what has been on the needles:
What have you been working on this week?
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Sam
xxx
What have you been working on this week?
Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
Sam
xxx
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Another Itty Bitty Dress
Joe's niece had a baby girl: Leila Rose! Loving that name, and good grief that baby girl is a cutie pie! Naturally I needed to make something for her. I really enjoyed making the Itty Bitty Dress for Naomi and thought a baby version would be fun too. I think this one is even cuter... seriously, check out how cute these fabrics are:
One of the sides is made from Just Hanging Monkey Bizness fabric, and the other side in the coral dot to dot from Children at Play range. I wanted to add a little something to the polka dot side to jazz it up, and simply cut out one of the flowers from the Just Hanging fabric and stitched it to the front.
The baby pattern came in newborn and 1-3 month size. I increased the sizing a little more to hopefully make it a 3-6 month size. One gotcha - I should have lengthened the straps too. Thinking I may add press-studs so that they can be clipped together instead of the ties. The ties just seem a little short to me.
Ooh and look how perfectly they go with the Dolly wrap cardigan.
If you still aren't convinced how cute this pattern is, then go feast your eyes at the Itty Bitty Dress flickr pool.
On an entirely unrelated note - the hydrangeas I planted this spring are starting to bloom. So pretty.
Have a great weekend,
Sam
One of the sides is made from Just Hanging Monkey Bizness fabric, and the other side in the coral dot to dot from Children at Play range. I wanted to add a little something to the polka dot side to jazz it up, and simply cut out one of the flowers from the Just Hanging fabric and stitched it to the front.
The baby pattern came in newborn and 1-3 month size. I increased the sizing a little more to hopefully make it a 3-6 month size. One gotcha - I should have lengthened the straps too. Thinking I may add press-studs so that they can be clipped together instead of the ties. The ties just seem a little short to me.
Ooh and look how perfectly they go with the Dolly wrap cardigan.
If you still aren't convinced how cute this pattern is, then go feast your eyes at the Itty Bitty Dress flickr pool.
On an entirely unrelated note - the hydrangeas I planted this spring are starting to bloom. So pretty.
Have a great weekend,
Sam
Monday, June 18, 2012
Instant Gratification Projects
One of the things I love about sewing is the relative speed with which you can finish a project. Of course it all depends on the project, but here are two that I was able to start and finish over the weekend.
First up is a summer dress for Naomi. We recently went through her clothes to swap out the warmer weather gear for her summer clothes. There were a few things from last year that still fit well, but her wardrobe was drastically depleted. This gave me the nudge to pull something together for her. I found this free pattern for a reversible Itty Bitty dress.
As you can see below, it is a not-so-itty bitty dress on my tiny little girl! I used the 2-3T size, which clearly stated that it runs closer to 3T. This works for me - I'm hoping to get 2 summer's wear out of the dress! The pattern is fantastic - so very easy to follow. And quick! This beauty only took 3 hours to put together.
The fabric is The Monsterz, which I picked up at Fabricate last month. Such a fun print for a wee one. And what a great feeling to be able to put it to great use.
The other project is a scarf that I'd made for my good friend Anita. She was kind enough to check in on our home while we were off gallivanting on our hols! Anita always looks so sophisticated and I wanted to create something that suited her style. And so I created this glam scarf.
There's a story behind the fabric: Joe and I were browsing around some local boutique stores recently. I was a little sad to see that one of the stores that I liked was closing it's doors and selling off everything - fixtures, fittings, the lot. One of the things that caught my eye was a pile of interior decorating fabric. I was able to purchase a couple of their swatch booklets - one of which was for the Bella Notte line of luxury fabrics. The swatches included velvets, silks, lace... and was such an interesting find. I knew I'd be able to put it to good use.
Wishing you a great week,
Sam xxx
First up is a summer dress for Naomi. We recently went through her clothes to swap out the warmer weather gear for her summer clothes. There were a few things from last year that still fit well, but her wardrobe was drastically depleted. This gave me the nudge to pull something together for her. I found this free pattern for a reversible Itty Bitty dress.
As you can see below, it is a not-so-itty bitty dress on my tiny little girl! I used the 2-3T size, which clearly stated that it runs closer to 3T. This works for me - I'm hoping to get 2 summer's wear out of the dress! The pattern is fantastic - so very easy to follow. And quick! This beauty only took 3 hours to put together.
The fabric is The Monsterz, which I picked up at Fabricate last month. Such a fun print for a wee one. And what a great feeling to be able to put it to great use.
The other project is a scarf that I'd made for my good friend Anita. She was kind enough to check in on our home while we were off gallivanting on our hols! Anita always looks so sophisticated and I wanted to create something that suited her style. And so I created this glam scarf.
There's a story behind the fabric: Joe and I were browsing around some local boutique stores recently. I was a little sad to see that one of the stores that I liked was closing it's doors and selling off everything - fixtures, fittings, the lot. One of the things that caught my eye was a pile of interior decorating fabric. I was able to purchase a couple of their swatch booklets - one of which was for the Bella Notte line of luxury fabrics. The swatches included velvets, silks, lace... and was such an interesting find. I knew I'd be able to put it to good use.
Wishing you a great week,
Sam xxx
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Vintage Inspiration
Today was a really good day. I started the morning with a quick and easy craft project: Putting together a gift bag using scrapbooking supplies and a paper shopping bag. This is a great way to make good use of those good quality paper bags that some stores are using. I think they are too nice to throw away, especially those that I pick up at Anthropologie: a simple off-white paper bag, with fun red handles.
All you need is the paper bag, double sided sticky tape, and scrapbook supplies. I found this nice vintage-looking floral design paper with coordinating polka dot paper, letters, frames, ribbon and some fun old-fashioned dictionary page paper. I use double sided tape because it sticks really well, is quick, easy and doesn't make a mess.
Next it was off to breakfast at one of my local haunts, and then to my favourite local quilt store - Snappy quilts - where they happened to have a sale on fat quarters. So naturally I left with a handful :) Some pretty Kaffe Fassett prints that I'm collecting to make a quilt for my Mum. Speaking of this quilt store, I recently took a class there for the 'perfect skirt'. We used McCall's pattern M5431 as the basis, and the very talented teacher showed us how to adapt for our shape and size. I've fumbled through creating a couple of skirts now, and was thrilled that I learned so many new, and professional, techniques in this class - customizing the shape and the fit, grading seams to remove bulk, different hem options... The fabric is from Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market fancy which she descibes as being inspired the vintage charm of some of her flea market finds. Really happy with how this turned out - it is very wearable. I especially love the big deep pockets.
And finally I spent the afternoon at Old Glory Antiques Fair. Old Glory Antiques is a fabulous local store (I'll have to post the fun vintage swim locker I previously picked up - it now houses my yarn stash). They'd pulled together a bunch of similarly wonderful vendors and put on a fair. If funds were unlimited I could have gone crazy. Soo many wonderful things to buy. I oohed and aahed over many of the items displayed there, but was able to show restraint and only came away with some vintage threads, which I think will be a nice addition to my yet-to-be-created craft room.
Hope you had a good day too,
Sam xxx
All you need is the paper bag, double sided sticky tape, and scrapbook supplies. I found this nice vintage-looking floral design paper with coordinating polka dot paper, letters, frames, ribbon and some fun old-fashioned dictionary page paper. I use double sided tape because it sticks really well, is quick, easy and doesn't make a mess.
Next it was off to breakfast at one of my local haunts, and then to my favourite local quilt store - Snappy quilts - where they happened to have a sale on fat quarters. So naturally I left with a handful :) Some pretty Kaffe Fassett prints that I'm collecting to make a quilt for my Mum. Speaking of this quilt store, I recently took a class there for the 'perfect skirt'. We used McCall's pattern M5431 as the basis, and the very talented teacher showed us how to adapt for our shape and size. I've fumbled through creating a couple of skirts now, and was thrilled that I learned so many new, and professional, techniques in this class - customizing the shape and the fit, grading seams to remove bulk, different hem options... The fabric is from Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market fancy which she descibes as being inspired the vintage charm of some of her flea market finds. Really happy with how this turned out - it is very wearable. I especially love the big deep pockets.
And finally I spent the afternoon at Old Glory Antiques Fair. Old Glory Antiques is a fabulous local store (I'll have to post the fun vintage swim locker I previously picked up - it now houses my yarn stash). They'd pulled together a bunch of similarly wonderful vendors and put on a fair. If funds were unlimited I could have gone crazy. Soo many wonderful things to buy. I oohed and aahed over many of the items displayed there, but was able to show restraint and only came away with some vintage threads, which I think will be a nice addition to my yet-to-be-created craft room.
Hope you had a good day too,
Sam xxx
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Vesper Scrappy Socks
Ooh I do love finishing a project. There's a sense of achievement that just makes me really happy. The added bonus is that I'm pleased with the outcome. And what's not to be pleased with... gotta love a cosy pair of handknit socks that have such a jolly vibe to them.
The yarn was some Vesper odds and ends that I purchased from a Ravelry member. I really enjoyed chopping and changing between the different colour schemes that I'd been able to get hold of. (Although weaving in the ends was a pain!) The pattern was an adapted version of my basic sock pattern. This time with a size 2 needle to suit this skinny sock yarn. I cast on a more stitches than my basic pattern to accommodate the smaller needle size - 75 stitches. The rib is a simple K4, P1 repetition.
Not a lot else to tell you about these. Except little miss has taken a shining to them and keeps telling me they are her socks. I have enough odds and ends that I could probably whip out a toddler sized pair. (I need more hours in a day!)
Hope you are having a good week,
Sam xxx
The yarn was some Vesper odds and ends that I purchased from a Ravelry member. I really enjoyed chopping and changing between the different colour schemes that I'd been able to get hold of. (Although weaving in the ends was a pain!) The pattern was an adapted version of my basic sock pattern. This time with a size 2 needle to suit this skinny sock yarn. I cast on a more stitches than my basic pattern to accommodate the smaller needle size - 75 stitches. The rib is a simple K4, P1 repetition.
Not a lot else to tell you about these. Except little miss has taken a shining to them and keeps telling me they are her socks. I have enough odds and ends that I could probably whip out a toddler sized pair. (I need more hours in a day!)
Hope you are having a good week,
Sam xxx
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Vacation
I've just returned from a lovely vacation. Aah, I love being on holiday... and I love coming home.
The first week was in celebration of our 10 year wedding anniversary. I often wonder where the time has gone. As they say, time flies when you are having fun. I also wonder who those skinny dark-haired folks are in our wedding photos :o))) Here's to the next 10 happy years.
We celebrated by going to Disney in Florida. We all had a blast, and Naomi was super exciteable the whole time. It was fun seeing her big brown eyes sparkle with delight.
The following week we headed north to Amelia Island so that we could be closer to Joe's older 'babies' - Ian and Jessica. Jessica was graduating from high school that week and I'm soo happy that we were there for the ceremony. Joe is one proud Poppa. Congratulations Jessica, you are an amazing young lady!
During our trip to Amelia Island (which is lovely by the way), we took a day trip to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is one of those places that I've wanted to visit since I moved to the US. I'm not sure why I had this desire as I know next to nothing about the area. I guess I dreamed of a historic town, wonderful boutique shops, fabulous food, and a warm friendly place. Savannah was all that I dreamt it would be, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed our day there. And the cherries on the cake - a fantastic fabric shop called Fabrika, and a boutique yarn store called Wild Fiber.
Fabrika was beautifully decorated (check out the embroidery hoops with the different fabrics) and had a variety of supplies for the quilter, home decorator and seamstress alike. The staff were extremely welcoming and friendly. Needless to say I found a few little something somethings to take home! More on those in another post.
Wild fiber was practically right next door to Fabrika and stocked a variety of high-end yarns. Naturally I picked up something there too!
And there was also knitting activity. I took my scrappy Vespa sock yarn socks which I'd started this time last year. These are super close to being finished and I hope to share them with you soon.
Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend.
Hugs, Sam xxx
The first week was in celebration of our 10 year wedding anniversary. I often wonder where the time has gone. As they say, time flies when you are having fun. I also wonder who those skinny dark-haired folks are in our wedding photos :o))) Here's to the next 10 happy years.
We celebrated by going to Disney in Florida. We all had a blast, and Naomi was super exciteable the whole time. It was fun seeing her big brown eyes sparkle with delight.
The following week we headed north to Amelia Island so that we could be closer to Joe's older 'babies' - Ian and Jessica. Jessica was graduating from high school that week and I'm soo happy that we were there for the ceremony. Joe is one proud Poppa. Congratulations Jessica, you are an amazing young lady!
During our trip to Amelia Island (which is lovely by the way), we took a day trip to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is one of those places that I've wanted to visit since I moved to the US. I'm not sure why I had this desire as I know next to nothing about the area. I guess I dreamed of a historic town, wonderful boutique shops, fabulous food, and a warm friendly place. Savannah was all that I dreamt it would be, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed our day there. And the cherries on the cake - a fantastic fabric shop called Fabrika, and a boutique yarn store called Wild Fiber.
Fabrika was beautifully decorated (check out the embroidery hoops with the different fabrics) and had a variety of supplies for the quilter, home decorator and seamstress alike. The staff were extremely welcoming and friendly. Needless to say I found a few little something somethings to take home! More on those in another post.
Wild fiber was practically right next door to Fabrika and stocked a variety of high-end yarns. Naturally I picked up something there too!
And there was also knitting activity. I took my scrappy Vespa sock yarn socks which I'd started this time last year. These are super close to being finished and I hope to share them with you soon.
Hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend.
Hugs, Sam xxx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)